<> Before you discuss on how somebody is doing something, it is also good to look at the reason why the person is doing that thing, so that you can be in a better position to educate the person properly. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious . The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. Christians observe the Lords supper. Christians pray toGod through Jesus Christ. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. But as we learnt in Unit One, Christians can also worship Him attheir homes or other places. Africans had shrines they believedGod dwelt in. Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. The Spirit medium is in many ways a subordinate agency within the layer of retributive order. The voice and action of the spirit medium connect the community with these moral and spiritual entities who help shape human destiny. Content may require purchase if you do not have access. Devoid of essential personal characteristics they represent the essence of what might be called structural personality. Peel, J. D. Y. Thus, everythingis not completely unpredictable and chaotic because of this order. ), In addition to expressing high levels of belief in the protective power of sacrificial offerings and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or spells. Omissions? The African Traditional Religion, which is still in place today, can be compared to Christianity through their similarities and differences. This is the kind of interlocutor who will counter an observation about violent militancy in contemporary Islam in the context, let us say, of a discussion about Boko Haram with But what about the Crusades? endobj Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. In the part two of my writing, l will expand on the world populated by spirits called Vodou alongside that of the Akan. These intermediary agents include the ancestors, members of the community who at death become idealized. % African religions behavior is centered mainly on the human person and his or her life in this world, with the consequence that religion is clearly functional, or a means to serve people to acquire earthly goods (life, health, fecundity, wealth, power and the like) and to maintain social cohesion and order.. Traditional Africans did not practice baptism. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. Human beings are the link between the heavens and the earth, between the visible and the invisible universe. For myself, I negotiate between my Yoruba and Christian identity by, for example, affirming those aspects of African culture that promote good life and communal human welfare. 1 0 obj The religious traditions and beliefs of the African peoples have enough differences to merit a study of each in its own right. Olupona earned his bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975. While Islam and Christianity tend to be overtly resistant to adopting traditional African religious ideas or practices, indigenous African religions have always accommodated other beliefs. Some of the ideas from Mbitis works are pertinent to our discussion here: Africans believe in a hierarchy of beings, from the ultimate being, God, to lesser ones, divinities, spirits, the living dead, human beings, animals, plants, and inanimate beings. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. People may complain to God and the ancestors, but they will never accuse them of any moral wrongdoing. Veneration of departed ancestors is a major characteristic of all traditional religions. Marshall, Ruth a trans-moral suspension of retribution in the face of self-confessed and inescapable human wrongdoing. Green notes a similarity between this deep structure and that which has developed in Christian theology over centuries of effort at grounding human moral striving in the face of the experiential difficulties that assault moral idealism. In this Christian theological system, the idea of God as creator and sovereign expresses the moral requirements of impartial regard for all. He has useful insights to add to our discussion and in many ways corroborates the statements other scholars like Mbiti have made about African religion. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. Differences between Christianity and traditional African beliefs and customs (Exodus 20:3-5,Hebrews 10:8-10) 1. Foreign religions simply dont have that same connection to the African continent. However, the reasons for the growth of Christianity in Africa significantly include the way the Africans have attempted to deal with their threatening fears, especially witchcraft. Wendy Sherman, who was the lead U.S. negotiator in the nuclear deal with Iran, was welcomed by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. These are the pristine men and women, the originators of the lineage or clan or ethnic group. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). They are thus moral agents. It is the ancestors, however, the custodians of tradition, who determine the way these agents act, and it is tradition that supplies the moral code and indicates what the people must do to live ethically. African traditions carry out their role as ethical guides in many ways, including myths and rituals. Their significance lies in the genealogical positions and the rights and duties which derive from them. Ancestors uphold right conduct by punishing moral violations, demanding respect and attention, and getting angry when not given due respect. Copyright 2023 Akiki Nyabongos novel, Africa answers back, reveals that religious syncretism in Africa is a reality that has persistently painted Christianity as an offshoot of traditional African religions. They can also be the dead of the tribe, following the order of primogeniture. Christians do not offer animal sacrifices to appease God. Using Ghana as a case history, I shall evaluate this ministry to find out its positive and negative effects. Fardon, Richard psC68k}(`eMTO} }3sUO?JH`dMQois6I{r[}Doq?L0}ze^WZ\|r?3Z %g~bs_*@F`b, vw`qRk3xnnH6NSKF vFK](S?I.$@\$OC(N#a6oJc!0 sm!$!'TGzmSvw)+Na?1s K{o?!I OLUPONA: My father, a faithful Anglican priest, was a good example. Christians give a tenth of all their earnings to God. In respect and honor of my culture, I also dress in my traditional Nigerian attire when Im in my country. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? However, to them, the entire universe is filled with spirit such as trees, rocks, and rivers. A holistic interpretation of the book between Paul and James. Both have initiation rites into full membership. Today Christians worship Godmainly in churches. Has data issue: true Pratten, David The ancestors are believed to be the most immediate link with the spiritual world, and they are thought to be constantly near, observing every thought and action of the living. The religious activities of chiefs and lineage heads are generally limited to the more routine biweekly and annual festivities, but traditional priests given their association with specific shrines are regarded as specialized practitioners through whom the spirits of the gods may grant directions. All life, power, and existence flow from God, and by right of their primogeniture and proximity to God by death God has granted the ancestors a qualitatively more powerful life force over their descendants. Who constitutes the world of the ancestors? Traditional Africans made images of the Supreme God or other supernatural beingswhich they worshipped. I utilised this view as hermeneutical point. A Journal of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, by Paulinus Ikechukwu Odozor (See the glossary for more information on juju. Magesa discusses the African tradition in its various manifestations: its understanding of the human person and of life in general; aesthetics, politics, ethics, and of course religion, which he shows to be the architectonic basis of these other expressions or manifestations of African tradition. The vibrancy of African Traditional Religion in these two aspectstheological and moralcreates a unique opportunity for Christianity in Africa, one that, as Bediako points out has been lost to Christian theology in the West, for a serious and creative theological encounter between the Christian and primal traditions. It is therefore very important for African theology to ascertain the meaning of African Traditional Religion, both because of the service this tradition renders to Christian theology as a dialogue partner, and because the very self-awareness of the African theologian and of African theology itself to a large extent hinges on a proper articulation and appreciation of Africas pre-Christian past. Because many diseases are believed to have spiritual causes, traditional priests sometimes act as doctors or herbalists. While both Christianity and African religion have a concept of a Supreme Being,Christians believe in a God who exists in three persons. Prayers and sacrificial offerings are usually directed toward secondary divinities, who are intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. OLUPONA: Yes, its a mixed bag because in the African diaspora mostly due to the slave trade starting in the 15th century indigenous African religions have spread and taken root all over the world, including in the United States and Europe. They are not mutually exclusive. For the full article, see, New religions, independent churches, and prophetic movements, https://www.britannica.com/summary/African-religions. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. It is also an opportunity to help the Christian churches in the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups from which l come from, to see it as their duty to find means and ways to evangelise our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and children who are still under the African Traditional practices. The African Traditional Religion has no founder. They take the communion to remember thedeath and resurrection of Jesus. All rights reserved. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. Who Should Christians Worship? Journal of Biblical Unitarianism 1:1, 5-33, 2014. This paper uses a qualitative research approach in the form of document analysis to critically explore the religious intersectionalities between Christianity and African Traditional. One scholar who has written extensively on African Traditional Religion is John Mbiti, a Kenyan whom many consider the dean of living African theologians. Some scholars have rightly observed that the centre of gravity of Christianity is shifting from the West to the two-thirds world, that is Asia, South America and Africa. The Supreme Being is usually thought of as remote from daily religious life and is, therefore, not directly worshipped. 1 Their central thrust is to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences between current movements in the world religions, particularly Christianity and Islam, but Mbiti emphasizes that Africans view the universe religiously. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest. View all Google Scholar citations Christians practice baptism. This is one of the most amazing opportunities l have to speak or write in the hope of bringing freedom, to show the value of every human life, and to help girls who are in immense suffering. The Church is the Christian family, in which all are accompanied to one another through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. Mbiti makes this point too when he stresses that the majority of African peoples believe that God punishes in this life. Although God is concerned with humanitys moral life and upholds the moral law, there is no belief that a person is punished in the hereafter for his or her wrongdoing in this life. One of Jacob Oluponas earliest memories in Massachusetts is of nearly freezing in his apartment as a graduate student at Boston University during the great snowstorm of 1978. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. . In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. When they pray they maykneel down, bow their heads or lift their hands up. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. When Christians are sickthey do not go to magicians or traditional healers. Mbiti says that: According to Mbiti, human beings have a privileged position in the universe. Feature Flags: { It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. The data also will include a survey he conducted in 1999 of 1201 participants across Ghana concerning the belief in the traditional spirit-world. Thus, for example, older persons not only possess a more powerful vital force but a greater responsibility in society and more intense mystical powers. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. Inculturation, as we will argue later in Morality Truly Christian, Truly African, sheds the light of the gospel on cultural practices like this one to reveal what is sinful in them and to show that human beings, especially women, in this case, deserve better treatment than this. In this paper, Ill bring the understanding of African traditional adherents into the light of the Holy Scriptures; to explain what the Bible teaches about soul and spirit in relation to God and man. The ordering of the universe and its continuance depends on God. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. This is called the Trinity. God, the ancestors, and the spirits are all moral powers whose actions affect human life in various ways and to various degrees. A third scholar of interest to us here is Laurenti Magesa, the central thesis of whose book on African religion is captured quite succinctly in the subtitle: African religion constitutes a tradition of abundant life. Commonly, God is believed to dwell in the skies. I am going to use the research reports of Opoky Onyinah , which he carried out among Ghanaian Christians between 1997 and 1999. We will return to these issues later in Morality Truly Christian, Truly African, but for now it is enough to ask whether the similarities in the deep structure between the two religions are indeed as similar as Green suggests. Many laws, customs, set forms of behavior, regulations, rules, observances and taboos, constituting the moral code and ethics of a given community, are held sacred, and are believed to have been instituted by God.Furthermore, a person acts in ways that are good when he or she conforms to the customs and regulations of the community, or bad when he or she does not. Some of these myths explain the origin of the universe, the nature of the relationship between creation (including humanity) and God, and the source and cause of the human predicament and of evil in general; they also provide a synopsis of the forces comprising the African moral conception of the universe. Religious rituals provide ameans by which the community seeks redress and repairs wrongs that have been committed and that call down calamities and afflictions from spiritual beingsall this to restore the status quo ante or even to maintain the existing good status quo that society or an individual may be enjoying., In the hierarchically ordered world of African Traditional Religion, God is the ancestor, par excellence. 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Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. GAZETTE: How do you balance your Christian and indigenous African identity? Pentecostalism and Shamanism in Asia and Beyond, A Critical Analysis of Byang Kato's Demonology and Its Theological Relevance for an Evangelical Demonology, INITIATION IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Kirsteen Kim, Amos Yong: Interdisciplinary and Religio-Cultural Discourses on a Spirit-Filled World, Encounter - Journal of African Life and Religion, 12 (2017), REGNUM STUDIES IN MISSION Pentecostal Mission and Global Christianity An Edinburgh Centenary Reader, Van Rheenen, Gailyn: Missions - biblical foundations. / DI41@ tD}r;Y w,XVzwiA1JtvrlfFaD7E@s 00=L"q{Vf\}ioKy=lXS.P6ChX m% ~nUV)=vp%FBvy}+6,0+V8sG&>K_iBOntQvyCN[I'uvR;}hA/D|+I9Q$cL, Modernity has not put a total stop to its influence. Jacob Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. How digital misinformation may keep you from a good nights sleep, Study finds surgical patients with addiction issues may be at greater risk for complications, including sudden cardiac death after anesthesia, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, Chief counsel of respected mid-70s Senate inquiry into improper federal investigations says credibility of oversight function at stake, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Both have religious leaders or priests whopresent the peoples requests to God. This work investigates the conflicts existing between the two . And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. He is not only the covenant giver He gives the power to keep the covenant. These initiation rituals are already not as common in Africa as they were only 50 years ago, yet age-grade initiations have always helped young Africans feel connected to their community and their past. Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. In lieu of these traditional African ways of defining oneself, Christianity and Islam are gradually creating a social identity in Africa that cuts across these indigenous African religious and social identities. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? To achieve its goal, the paper adopts the method of . Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Odozor's Morality Truly Christian, Truly Africanpublished by theUniversity of Notre Dame Press. O?+dOw\eOoHc_o~ Q:c qeM1ehb/j|-Xyy#=g vnxX,o"\4/I+{U40f_dX!y2#i.7Xi0}zi*_Qk({_8D2M"09E%kR`O"}Ec#O3+lwP/z[r=]jPh!eC6Ci{FKnW4 Christ was tempted in all the ways It is the religion which resulted from the sustaining faith held by the forebears of the present Africans, and which is being practised today in various forms and various shades and intensities by a very large number . In the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups the above phenomenological conception of ATR called for education in the light of the scriptures. They consultedtraditional healers who used various herbs and charms to cure diverse illnesses. Learn more about the similarities and differences of the religious systems of Africa, including indigenous religions, Abrahamic, Islamic, and Christian beliefs of people in the region. I had it. Christianity, African traditional religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. ABSTRACT The concept of God in the traditional religion of Akan and Ewe ethnic groups compare to the Bible By Godwin Kwame Ofosuhene I am going to focus this writing, on how the Akan and Ewe ethnic groups of Ghana, understood God in their traditional religious practices and after that compare or discuss these beliefs in the light of the Holy Scriptures. The LagosIbadan theocratic class and the Muslim Other, The End-Time Army: Charismatic movements in modern Nigeria, Islam in Nigeria: one crescent, many voices, Christianity, Islam, and Oria Religion: three traditions in comparison and interaction, The politics of protection: perspectives on vigilantism in Nigeria, Globalised Islam: the search for a new ummah, Fundamentalism: a very short introduction, Ritual healing and political acquiescence: the case of the Zionist churches in Southern Africa, An Islamic social movement in contemporary West Africa: NASFAT of Nigeria, Movers and Shakers: social movements in Africa, A New Paradigm of Pentecostal Power: a study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/nick-cohen-islam-film-censorship. One is also sometimes givena new name after baptism. It appeals more to social scientists than to those working in religious studies, particularly scholars of specific religious traditions. Corrections? OLUPONA: Your question underscores an important facet about African spirituality: It is not a closed theological system. Some ancestors may even be reincarnated to replenish the lineage. For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in ones social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in ones kinship and family relations or even to ones relationship with ones ancestors. Acknowledgements, Introduction: Locations of culture, 1. Like Mbiti and Green, Magesa notes that the world of African Traditional Religion is a hierarchically ordered place where, On the lowest rung of the ladder are spirits, who are active beings distinct from humans and reside in nature and phenomena such as trees, rivers, rocks, or lakes. For example, in 14 of the 19 countries surveyed, more than three-in-ten people say they sometimes consult traditional healers when someone in their household is sick. } Secondly, there is moral and religious order. It evolved through many centuries, before the westerner come to Africa. hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. For all Ghanaian ethnic groups, the spirit world is considered to be as real as the world of the living. Christ is the Mediator between Humans and God In African Traditional Religion ancestral spirits, and lesser gods, are usually the spirits that communicate with humans on earth. Witchcraft has been a prevailing belief in African cultures and has continually posed problems for the African people groups. Postcolonial, Abstract Interfaith dialogue is commonly used in building peace and understanding among religious groups. The position I critique in this paper is really a complex of closely overlapping positions, some more theoretically sophisticated or better grounded empirically than others.1 Their central thrust is to emphasize the similarities rather than the differences between current movements in the world religions, particularly Christianity and Islam, but also to a lesser extent in Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Render date: 2023-03-01T10:31:12.538Z However, in African religious thought God is distanced from the task of moral affairs because the task of moral retribution and maintenance of effective moral norms is usually performed by spiritual agents of much lower standingthat is, by spirits of various sorts, by ghosts and even by human practitioners of spiritual arts. Other characteristics that show the contrast between (Western) Christian thought and African Traditional Religion,according to Green, are the nonexistence of concepts of heaven and hell in African Traditional Religion, the lack of messianic expectations and hope, and the absence of eschatological thought with God stepping in to right all wrongs or to punish wickedness. And although African Traditional Religion affirms the continuation of life after death, where the person is believed to join the spirit world of the ancestors to continue life in some ways similar to the life before death, this belief does not constitute a hope for improved existence or for ultimate reward and punishment since a persons moral depravity or moral rectitude [does] not count in the beyond and whatever penalties or rewards those may bring have no bearing on life after death.. The recipient of many prestigious academic honors and research fellowships, Olupona also received the 20152016 Reimar Lust Award for International and Cultural Exchange, considered one of Germanys most prestigious academic honors. This is because Jesusalready shed His blood on the cross and He was the perfect sacrifice that totally satisfied God. They trust God for their healing. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. For instance, in the southern Volta Region of Ghana, and in Togo and Benin, thousands of young girls of the Ewe (say Ay-vay) tribe are held as slaves in unspeakable conditions under a traditional religion belief called the trokosi system or wives of the ancestral gods. Instead of God keeping his distance from man, He, throughout history and today reaches down in love to draw humans toward him. Whenever. It is a counter culture in response to the, The move towards contextual Christianity in Africa is an essential venture if Christianity is to communicate with the African cultural heritage. Both believe that God is the creator ofhumankind. 1"7$X9Xyyyb GNpL!9I&mxo0++44cA@5c. in social anthropology from Oxford University, is studying for a master of theological studies (M.T.S.) The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in . A belief in ancestors also testifies to the inclusive nature of traditional African spirituality by positing that deceased progenitors still play a role in the lives of their living descendants. Moral culpability is always on the shoulders of humanity. The same hierarchy evident in the relationship between God, the ancestors, and humanity is also present in the relationship between the animate and the inanimate world, the former being superior to the latter. 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